IAFF Efforts Increase SAFER Funding

July 17, 2006 – The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved a spending bill that increases funding for the SAFER and FIRE Act grant programs. The bill also includes hundreds of millions of dollars for other first responder programs and proposes major reforms to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

As approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee in June, the bill only marginally increased funding over last year’s level for SAFER grants, to $115 million, and slightly decreased funding for FIRE Act grants, to $540 million.

Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Mike DeWine (R-OH) offered a bipartisan amendment to increase funds for both grant programs by $12.5 million each, increasing SAFER funding to $127.5 million and FIRE Act money to $552.5 million. An intensive lobbying campaign by the IAFF and its members helped ensure that the Dodd/DeWine amendment passed by unanimous consent.

“I congratulate the Senate in its unanimous decision to increase funding for SAFER and the FIRE Act,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “With this year’s tight budget, this increase is a great victory – one that would not have been possible without the diligent lobbying efforts of IAFF members. Thanks are also due to Senators Judd Gregg (R-NH), Robert Byrd (D-WV), Christopher Dodd and Mike DeWine, who have worked tirelessly in support of SAFER and the FIRE Act throughout this bill’s consideration.”

The Senate also approved an IAFF-supported amendment offered by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) to reform FEMA within the Department of Homeland Security. The proposal requires FEMA to use an all-hazards approach to emergency management, that FEMA be headed by a strong leader experienced in crisis management, and that disaster preparedness and response functions be reunified under FEMA.

The amendment also includes language to address two major IAFF initiatives to improve the manner in which fire fighters are used during a disaster, and to require the establishment of medical monitoring programs for first responders following disasters.

The bill will now be considered by a House-Senate Conference Committee, where differences between the bills as passed by each chamber must be resolved. The House-passed bill contains less funding for SAFER, and does not include language to reform FEMA.

The IAFF will continue working to ensure that SAFER is funded at the highest possible level, and will work to retain the FEMA reforms passed by the Senate in the final bill.